Taking the government to task on the issue of
implementation of One Rank, One Pension
(OROP) scheme for the personnel retiring from the Armed forces, a
parliamentary panel today asked the Centre to work out an amicable solution
"within stringent timeframe at the earliest".
The Standing Committee on Defence,in its
report submitted in the both Houses of Parliament, regretted that even after
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a commitment and Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley had provided Rs 1,000 crore in the General Budget, the OROP has not
been implemented.
"It is beyond the understanding of the
Committee as to what reasons are preventing the government from making
necessary decisions and arriving at a solution," the
Committee wondered, adding that it was utmost important that requisite
modalities were sorted out and an amicable solution brought with regard to OROP
within stringent timeframe at the earliest.
The Committee asked the government to apprise
it about the progress made in this regard.
RELATED & LEST ONE FORGETS, PLEASE !!!
SC asks Centre to fulfil one rank, one pension promise
The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to
implement its six-year-old verdict to follow the one rank, one pension (OROP)
principle for retired armed forces personnel, reminding
the BJP government that it had promised to do so in the run-up to last year’s
Lok Sabha elections.
A bench of justices TS Thakur and AK Goel warned the
government of contempt if it failed to abide by its order within three
months. [i.e. 18 May 2015]
“We make it clear that no further time will be granted for the
purpose of implementation of the judgment,” the bench told
additional solicitor general Pinky Anand who assured the bench that
modalities would be worked out till then.
“This was part of your manifesto for the Lok
Sabha elections. You must keep your word,” justice Thakur reminded Anand while
hearing a contempt petition filed by retired Major General SPS Vains who
dragged the defence ministry to court demanding the OROP scheme.
Armed forces personnel holding the same rank will get the same
pension, regardless of the last drawn pay, years of service and the years
served in a particular rank, under the OROP scheme.
Vains’s counsel, senior advocate Nidhesh Gupta, said the
government wasn’t doing charity since there was a court order in his clients’
favour.
“We have a judgment. It has been six years and we are still
waiting,” Gupta told the court.
He later told HT, “Before this judgment came, there was disparity
among retired armed forces personnel receiving pensionary benefits that were
calculated as per their pay-scale. So a Major General, who retired before
1996 when the Fifth Pay Commission was introduced, drew pension lower than not
just a similarly ranked officer who retired post-1996 but also a Brigadier,
Colonel and a Lieutenant Colonel.
The 2008 judgment brought everyone at par as the verdict said
there should be no classification due to the date of retirement.”
Successive governments in the past have opposed OROP on the
grounds that it would not be financially feasible.
However, the Modi government has promised to implement the policy
that will benefit around 25 lakh ex-servicemen. OROP for the armed forces is
likely to be part of the Union budget and could be implemented soon.
A TWEET FROM SHRI RAJEEV
CHANDRASEKHAR,MP.
Defence
Min @manoharparrikar has
assured me tht #OROP is being processed
& will be announced shortly! #ServingOurNation
#IndianArmedForces
COMMENT :
Wonder what new obfuscations and ABCD Mantras will
come forth from Shri Manohar Parrikar this time around ?
The Defence Consultative Committee of
Parliament, headed by Maj Gen BC Khanduri (retd), holds the mirror to the MoD
and we have the Defence Minister telling an ESM delegation from Kochi about the;
need for a second approval from Parliament; !!!
The same 'Mumbo-jumbo' to
Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP
Shame on the NaMo Sarkar. No doubts about that.
INCREDIBLE INDIA !!
Bala
I consider since Independence one of the most useless Government formed by NDA Government headed by Narendra Modi only. Very bad, Shameful to Modi and his team.
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